After suffering a severe dog bite that left her without use of either arm, Kyleen Waltman of Honea Path, South Carolina, sued Abbeville Animal Services in March 2022.
South Carolina’s Abbeville Animal Services is facing a lawsuit from a woman who claims the agency failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent the horrific attack that left her with both arms amputated.
On March 21, 2022, at approximately 10:30 a.m., while strolling along a road near Honea Path, Kyleen Waltman was unexpectedly attacked by three dogs. While operating his tractor, a guy witnessed the incident taking place and yelled at the dogs before contacting emergency services. Responders discovered Waltman lifeless in a muddy ditch upon their arrival.
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According to the lawsuit, the police officer noticed serious cuts on Kyleen’s neck and noticed that her right tricep wasn’t there.
Waltman had the amputation of both arms at a hospital in Greenville after being airlifted there. She was hospitalized for seven weeks.
According to the complaint, Abbeville Animal Services was aware of the aggressive dogs yet did nothing to stop them. Two more people complained to the agency over the pets. According to a neighbor’s complaint, the dogs were invading his yard on February 23, 2021.
Despite responding to the scene, the animal services officer only left a flier on the door and did not follow up, according to the lawsuit. The neighbor later revealed to another news organization that he needed a walking stick whenever he ventured outdoors due to his extreme fear of the dogs.
Then, on Christmas Day 2021, a man was attacked in the area of his upper thighs and knocked to the ground when visiting the house where the dogs lived. He managed to fend off the dogs and made it to the hospital for treatment, where a nurse informed animal services about what had happened.
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Two residents were interviewed by the police, who was informed that there were no large dogs on their property. According to the lawsuit, the officer departed without conducting any further follow-up.
Court records indicated that animal services failed to investigate those earlier events in accordance with its own regulations and procedures.
A few days subsequent to the incident, Justin Minor, the dog’s owner, was apprehended by sheriff’s deputies from Abbeville County on misdemeanor charges related to possessing dangerous animals.